Silent car wheel



R. H. cLAPP ET AL 2,481,200

SILENT CAR WHEEL Filed Aug. 4, 1945 Patented Sept. 6, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,481,200 SILENT CAR WHEEL Roger H. Clapp, Greenfield, Mass,

Phelan, Jackson Heights, N. Y

Steel Company,

Bethlehem Pennsylvania and John A. assignors to a corporation oi Application August 4, 1945, Serial No, 608,888

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a noise-silencing wheel for rail vehicle use, and more particularly to a laterally stable noiseless car wheel which is adapted to be braked upon the tread.

Resilient wheels for street railways, elevated subway lines and steam railroads have been worked on more or less experimentally by Such wheels expense.

One object of this invention, therefore. is to provide a cushioned car wheel of great loadcarrying capacity.

Another object is to provide a car wheel having a lore-compressed elastic element suificiently removed from the tread area to permit the safe use of shoe brakes.

Another object is to provide a silent car wheel adapted for the replacement of standard wheels with a minimum of changes in auxiliary equipment.

Still another object is to provide a vibrationabsorbing wheel which through the elimination of driving lugs and other protruding parts is simpler and less expensive to manufacture and more efiicient in operation than conventional wheels.

Other objects, advantages and purposes of the invention will appear hereinafter in the specification and in the claims; and in order to render Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of our improved wheel;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the said wheel:

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the wheel; and

Fig. 4 is a partial section of one sound-insulat ing liner.

tially a large steel cylinder having a bore 2 l press lit, and having a large flange or inside of the wheel and a-threaded portion 4 on the front or outside. Similarly assembling and handling, and

the rim I 8 is provided with the standard tread 20 tively thin and non-resilient molded fabric shim the like,

knock-out pins when removal is devulcanized or otheri 3 a sleeve and compression ring I, and the large bushing mounted on the driving hub, said resilannular lock nut 28, having its bore threaded ient bushing comprising inner and outer metal to flt the threads 4 and its outside diameter the sleeves and a body of elastic material compressed same as that of said shoulder I8, is screwed on he b w n. an outer wheel mounted on said tightly by means of the two holes 21 provided for s resilient bushin a o k nut threaded onto the spanner wrenches, and spot welded as at 28 to outer end of the driving hub, and non-sound conprevent turning. ducting liners disposed at each side of the outer As electrical conductors to ground, for street wheel and the outer sleeve and the resilient macars and the like, two or more bonds 2! of braided terial, and between said latter members and the copper cable with ends bent back and down and 1 flange and lock nut. soldered are secured between the flange 3 and 3. In a silent car wheel, the combination or the web ll by the machine screws 30 threaded an inner hub having an annular end flange, a into suitable tapped holes therein. resilient bushing fitting snugly over the inner It will be readily understood that by our comhub, an outer wheel portion secured upon the blnation of the substantially non-resilient side resilient bushing, a lock-nut secured upon the liners 22 and 25 with the resilient center bushinner hub, and side thrust liners oi non-resilient ing 6 we have eliminated all tendency to lateral fabric bonded between metal plates interposed motion along with the noise and vibration. While between the outer wheel portion and the end the use of molded fabric in said liners is definitely flange, and between the outer wheel portion and preferred, it is also possible to use brake or clutch the lock-nut,

lining stock or similar materials sandwiched bei. In a silent car wheel adapted to resist side tween the liner plates if required. thrust, the combination of an inner hub having Although we have herelnabove described our an end flange and adapted to be pressed onto a invention in considerable detail, we do not wish ear axle, an inner sleeve pressed t d inner to be limited narrowly to the exact and specific hub, a rubber ring bonded to said inner sleeve,

Particulars disclosed, but y use such Suban .outer sleeve ensuring compression of said rubstitutes, modifications, or equivalents as are in her ring, an outer wheel portion keyed to said cluded within the scope and piri of h invenouter sleeve, a locking device secured to said inner tion or pointed out in he pp aims. hub, and liners of substantially non-resilient ma- Having thus described our invention, what we terlal betwe protective backing plates t claim as new and useful and desire to protect by posed between the outer wheel portion and the Letters Patent is: flange and lockin device.

1. In a silent car wheel, the combination of a ROGE 11, amp, driving hub bored to receive an axle, said hub JOHN PEEL; being threaded on its outer end and radially 85 flanged on its inner end, a resilient bushing com- I REFERENCES CITED pressed between metal sleeves and encircling said The following references are of record in the hub, an outer wheel encircling the bushing, a lock nut on the threaded end of the hub, and liners me of this oi sound-absorbent material interposed between 4 UNIT D STATES PATENTS the outer wheel and the lock nut in direct con- Number Name Da tact therewith, and the outer wheel and the flange 151,543 Muumore June g respmively- 1,888,499 Gunn N 1932 2. In a silent car wheel, the combination of a 2 0 79 B ,09 ,1 rownyer Aug. 1'1, 1937 driving hub having an inner end flange and 2,124,350 Hirshfem July 19 1938 adapted to be mounted on an axle, a resilient 

